March 13th, 2024
Three upcoming public workshops seek to gather input from farmers and landowners as County updates preservation plan for first time in two decades
Spanish Language Version (PDF)
Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan Website
Monroe County Executive Adam Bello invites farmers, farmland owners and interested community members to participate in one of three upcoming Farmer/Landowner public workshops held by the county Department of Planning and Development to discuss an update to the 1999 Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan. The county is seeking stakeholder ideas about how to preserve high quality farmland and support the continued viability of agriculture in Monroe County.
In-person workshops will be held from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 26 at Ogden Town Hall, 269 Ogden Center Road, and from 6 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 at Pittsford Community Center, 35 Lincoln Ave. A virtual workshop will be held from noon to 1 p.m. Wednesday, March 27 on Zoom. Registration is not required for in-person meetings. To register for the Zoom meeting, visit www.monroecountyagplan.com.
“Monroe County boasts more than 600 farms, spanning more than 100,000 acres of premium farmland,” said Monroe County Executive Adam Bello. “Agriculture has always been a cornerstone of our economy and a key to our community’s well-being. Yet, we face the challenge of losing nearly 700 acres of this indispensable land each year. Supporting our farmers starts with protecting this irreplaceable farmland and ensuring that our agricultural legacy continues to flourish for generations to come.”
Monroe County’s first Agricultural and Farmland Protection Plan was developed in 1999 to help safeguard and sustain agricultural lands and a viable agricultural economy within county limits. The plan update seeks to address changes in the physical, social, and economic landscape over the past 20 years and recommend policies and projects to ensure that agricultural land and the farm operations that it supports thrive over the next 20 years. The update will be developed over the next eight months by the Department of Planning and Development, consultants from Labella Associates and an advisory committee of farmers and leaders from farm support institutions.
Each of the upcoming Farmer/Landowner workshops will include an overview of agriculture in Monroe County and describe the update process. Participants will be asked to share their perspectives on challenges, opportunities, resources and trends that affect local farming.
Additional public meetings will be held later in 2024 to review and discuss draft Plan recommendations.
Farmers, farmland owners and interested community members can visit www.monroecountyagplan.com to stay up-to-date on the Plan’s progress, findings, and events. Interested community members can also sign up to receive e-mail updates related to the Plan on the website.
For more information, contact Barbara Johnston at (585) 295-6636 or [email protected].
